research
Record low level of Bering Sea ice causes profound, widespread impacts
“This is an extreme event with immediate and long-lasting repercussions. It’s indicative of very rapid change in the entire northern Bering Sea ecosystem. It has ramifications for everyone in the region,” said lead author Rick Thoman, a climate specialist at the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy at the University of Alaska Fairbanks
Read MoreReport suggests how to prepare for Arctic oil spills
A new report is out on how communities can anticipate, plan for and build resiliency around oil spills. The report is the product of regional workshops in Anchorage, Alaska; Virginia Beach, Virginia; Santa Barbara, California; and Mobile and Bayou La Batre, Alabama. The Sea Grant Oil Spill Science Center and the Gulf Research Program of…
Read MoreVigilance advised after saxitoxin found in clams
Scientists have detected toxic algae in clams from the Bering Strait and Chukchi Sea regions of northern and western Alaska, according to a new bulletin. It’s an indication that ocean warming is moving northward, allowing the growth of Alexandrium catenella, a type of algae that can produce saxitoxin. If ingested, saxitoxin targets the nervous system…
Read MoreCordova Times: Federal grant will aid Sitka Tribe toxin research
A collaborative project with the University of Washington Tacoma, NCCOS, the University of Alaska and Alaska Sea Grant aims to develop two lab-based quantitative molecular methods for detection and counting of Alexandrium catenella resting cysts in sediment from the Gulf of Maine, Washington (Puget Sound), and Alaska (Kodiak and Kachemak Bay). The project will develop a target-specific DNA probe for a fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) assay.
Read MoreNew York Times publishes op-ed, co-authored by Gay Sheffield, on how sea ice loss imperils life in Alaska
The New York Times published a column by Vera Trainer, Rick Thoman and Gay Sheffield today about the dramatic extent of sea ice loss in Alaska and how it is affecting everything from plankton to whales and the residents who rely on marine resources for their wellbeing. Read the New York Times op-ed here. It…
Read MoreNew video focuses on Alaska’s acidifying oceans
Ocean acidification is how scientists describe the lowering of the oceans’ pH. The oceans today are roughly 30 percent more acidic than they were during the Industrial Revolution some 300 years ago. The rise in ocean acidification (OA) is tied to higher levels of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere by fossil fuel burning…
Read MoreAlaska Sea Grant State Fellowship alumnae move forward in their careers and education
Alaska Sea Grant’s State Fellowships are a career-building program modeled after the highly successful Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship. The fellowships provide an opportunity to acquire on-the-job experience in marine resource policies and programs in Alaska and they are geared toward soon-to-graduate or recently finished graduate students interested in marine policy and science. Since 2015, 11…
Read MoreCan mushrooms replace Styrofoam and keep the oceans cleaner?
A University of Alaska Anchorage researcher who hopes to curb ocean pollution thinks fungi might have a useful role to play. Philippe Amstislavski, an associate professor of public health at UAA, is experimenting with using mushrooms to create biodegradable insulation, shipping material and other environmentally friendly products. Alaska Sea Grant, a partnership between the National…
Read MoreSoutheast Alaska tribal council develops climate change plan
Climate change in Alaska’s high Arctic often captures headlines. Images of vanishing sea ice, dead seabirds, beached marine mammals, melting permafrost and houses tumbling into the ocean are common. Less media attention is directed to Southeast Alaska, an archipelago of hundreds of islands around a thin strip of mainland, blanketed by coastal temperate rainforest. But…
Read MoreSheffield, Ahmasuk honored for seabird mortality response
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has honored Alaska Sea Grant’s Gay Sheffield and Brandon Ahmasuk of Kawerak, Inc. for leading a coordinated response to seabird mortality events across the Bering and Chukchi region. Since 2013, Sheffield, an associate professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, and Ahmasuk have…
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